Pub furniture purchases are an important regular investment for pubs and bars, but like any investment, they depend on the funds being available to cover the cost of the purchase without putting the business itself under any undue pressure.
In recent years, economic turbulence has seen many companies lock down their spending - but with items like pub furniture seeing ongoing wear and tear, that can mean the importance of refurbishment is simply growing and growing for some establishments.
This December though, hospitality operators received not one, but two early Christmas presents from the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Autumn Statement.
While the statement as a whole was generally regarded as holding few big surprises, the British Beer & Pub Association has welcomed the measures that are likely to make things a little easier for its members.
For example, three quarters of pubs have a rateable valuation of less than £50,000, meaning 38,000 establishments will get a £1,000 discount on their rates following the measures announced by George Osborne.
Extending the Small Business Rate Relief to April 2015 will, according to the BBPA, "avoid a massive £27 million bill for thousands of pubs across the country".
That could provide the funds needed to refresh pub furniture, even if only by adding a couple of new sofas to replace sagging ones, or directly replacing broken and unstable chairs with new, sturdier ones.
And there was a second early Christmas gift for pubs in rural areas, which often serve more as community hubs than simply as a place to have a few drinks - and because of this, may have more customers who drive to the pub, rather than arriving on foot or by public transport.
These venues could see a greater number of motorist customers continue to come through their doors in the new year, following the news that the planned increase in fuel duty has been put on hold for another year, a move the coalition government have already made several times since coming to power.
With less being spent on taxation on fuel, customers should have a few more pounds to spend at the bar - on non-alcoholic beverages and food, of course - and this could in turn help to boost the availability of funds for much-needed investments like pub furniture purchases.